Indiana Pacers and Golden State Warriors: Franchise players in each NBA Team – NBA Feature Part 9
Indiana Pacers – Roy Hibbert
Surprised – Don’t be, because the Indiana Pacers certainly think the same way.
While many of you might have picked Danny Granger as the present and future franchise player of the team, he actually is a player on the decline.
Granger had a break out 2008-09 season in which he scored 25.8 points on average. He averaged 24.1 next season and last season his scoring numbers dropped to 18.2, not bad, until you consider the season in which Roy Hibbert announced
himself.
The 7 ft 2 in giant had a huge last season in which the Indiana Pacers made as far as the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Hibbert had career highs in points (12.8), rebounds (8.8) and blocks (2). Roy was a restricted free agent
at the end of the season and got a max five year contract, which clearly shows where the Pacers see him in their future plan.
Whether he has shown enough improvement to merit that big a contract still remains to be seen, but it is a solid fact that his overall game and intensity increased last season and he is the one to watch out for in future.
Golden State Warriors – Klay Thompson
This was the man, who stabilised the shooting guard position after Monta Ellis was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks midway through the last season.
In his first year, Thompson was a revelation for the Warriors.
After averaging under-ten points as a backup to Ellis, Thompson showed his true potential when he was given the starting duties in April. The guard averaged 18.6 points per game that month and added a lethal three point shooter
to Mark Jackson’s team, covering up for the presence of injured Stephen Curry, who only played 26 of the total 66 games last season.
The Warriors have added another lethal wing option in the form of Andre Drummond in this year’s draft, and the combo will be central to the Warriors success in the years to come. And if Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut can somehow
stay fit for a while, the team may actually become a title contender very soon.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not represent Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
Tags: